20 years ago, my sell through rate was 70 to 80% at 7 day auctions.
70 to 80% of everything I put on eBay would sell at auction. It got to the point that I would not even bother to relist. I just figured they didn't want it.
33 comments
70 to 80% of everything I put on eBay would sell at auction. It got to the point that I would not even bother to relist. I just figured they didn't want it.
coolections
·3 years agoWell at least you figured out that the items you are selling should NOT be listed at auction. ONLY items in high demand are things anyone should ever list at auction. It takes at least two interested buyers, and preferably 5 interested buyers before you should even consider doing what you are doing.
isaiah53-57
·3 years agoThose were the heydays - Back when the final value fees were 1.9%(OF THE ITEMS SELLING PRICE) and it cost a quarter to list an item for .99 cents. I sold comic books from 2002 until 2009 as my main source of income - In 2009 they defaulted search to BEST MATCH, which was biased to large sellers and our auction sell through rate went from over 80% down to less than 50% overnight - We quit the site very shortly thereafter and I got back into the auto industry - I started selling again back in 2014 after testing the waters to see if they had worked the bugs out of best match search, but only sold as aside gig after 2014, having completely lost my faith and trust in the company given the several different "Changes for the better" that occurred along the way that couldnt have been any worse in my opinion. I quit listing again over a year ago when the final value fees were pushing 20% while they simultaneously ramped up the Promoted Listing Program. Really?? How much do they really think it is OK to take, especially considering that they take away the service, benefits and protections that make selling online bearable just as fast as they raise the selling fees - its like a candle burning out of control at both ends...
sakic92710
·3 years ago20 years, eBay was like having a Thanksgiving dinner. Now it is like fighting with birds over bread crumbs.
deltilogical
·3 years ago" millions of people were getting on the internet for the first time. "
We were seeing a global market for the first time - things we'd never find locally suddenly were available.
From my own experience, I basically completed my want lists, and while I'm always looking I don't see as much that I actually want.
I think that early availability is over - the good stuff is not easy to find. And bidders respond when it is good stuff.
luckythewinner
·3 years agoAmen.
I built my collection on eBay over the past two decades. But nowadays, my want list consists of items for which only a handful of examples exist, and they only turn up on the open market once in a blue moon. (And in some cases I know who owns every known example)
luckythewinner
·3 years ago20 years ago, there were 1/10 the sellers and 1/10 the competition and eBay was the only game in town.
And each month millions of people were getting on the internet for the first time.
isaiah53-57
·3 years agoYeah and there were also 1/10 of the buyers...
The only part of your post that holds weight is they were "the only game in town", but is does not benefit the point of your post as you would hope. For a short while, they were the only game in town and they had their chance to stay at the top of the heap, but they became mired in short term revenue generation at the expense of long term growth, unlike other selling venues who kept their long term vision acknowledging it would be a bit painful up front, but knowing where it would get them in the long run - ebay is getting left behind - and here they are still mired in the thought that the only way to generate more revenue is to force it out of their users back pocket... falling further behind due to lack of ingenuity and seeking short term gain at the expense of long term growth...
pennysdream
·3 years ago20 years ago, eBay was a household name. Free publicity was rampant. Now when I mention the name, what I normally hear is "oh I forgot about them" or "I don't need auto parts". 20 years ago, eBay was new, a novelty. Now there are 100's of venues, all doing their own thing. There is a choice. 20 years ago, you could ride that magic carpet ride, and buyers would come to you. Now you must find ways to make your stuff stand out. Now you must find your buyers. And then you must provide the best service possible to keep them coming back.
Just my two cents.
(and yes, I have been here that long)
Penny
keziak
·3 years agoDaughter in her 20s looking for something. I suggested ebay and she just laughed.
**selling**stuff**
·3 years agoSeriously, who still runs auctions on ebay? I literally havent ran an auction style listing in over 15 years, and i think i may have done less than 10 in my 23 years listing here.. There really is no point in auction style listings, as that style listing here on ebay died years ago. Buy it now for the win.
bamorris
·3 years ago20 years ago I only accepted USPS money orders and communicated via email with my customers.
moondogblues
·3 years ago"20 years ago I only accepted USPS money orders and communicated via email with my customers."
I developed such trust with sellers that they would send the items before I even paid. I have also sent my CD's to sellers who I have had a long term relationship with. And gotten good feed back for the music. My band/duo now (Bass player died) doesn't gig any more after Covid hit. One reason I still come here even though I don't sell anymore is for the community. No gigs now, no interactions with friends and family, over 1100 days sequestered. Because of health issues, and yes we have been vaccinated, but doodoo occures. I do not want to live forever (great song) but perhaps a few more Springs. Not whining, really.
inhawaii
·3 years agoHow much would you pay to go back 20 years? 😉
moondogblues
·3 years agoInhawaii...drat. That song makes me cry.
femmefan1946
·3 years agoI had another auction close today (different ID-run for DH) with no bids and almost no Views.
Meanwhile sold 13 other Fixed Price listings priced between $10 and $40.
I only use Auctions when DH tells me too, then I relist as Fixed Price.
There is a place for Auctions, but since most last only seven days, we not only need to have interested buyers, but no identical competing items and customers who are checking our listings daily.
They are not useful for mass produced items.
They can be useful for vintage,antique and collectible items without a set market value.
The disappearance of catalogues which priced collectibles may be making auctions more viable online.
I don't see that with stamps, which are catalogued obsessively. Fixed Price with longer periods of visibility and Instant Gratification work better.
Even with painted or photographed art, auctions are not particularly useful.
john_wade
OP3 years agoAuctions are very useful for unusual and rare items for which there is no known value of which I've sold some for over $1,000 and didn't have the faintest idea of worth but started at $20 or less as a minimum bid. Which is better? Selling an item fast for $25.00 at fixed price or putting up the same item at auction and it sells for over $1,000?
john_wade
OP3 years agoTake a look at the 1952 Mickey Mantle Topps cards selling at auction on eBay. Looks like the only thing dead as a Dodo is wrong think. Auctions are the best way to sell if handled right but snatchers don't like auctions. Might have to pay.
stephenmorgan
·3 years agoI remember 20 years ago every auction I listed would sell or sell on the first relist.
The difference is that 20 years ago I had to pay a Fee for listing a auction. Today I am given 250 listings without being charged a Fee per listing so I am not concerned with listing something that may not sell the first time. If I had to pay for each listing or relist I would be very careful about what I listed.
12345jamesstamps
·3 years agoI did auctions to get rid of items at .01 to start...with free shipping and hoping for repeat buyers.
Everyone's business plan should include "repeat buyers".
Or I did auctions because I did not know what the item is worth.
Imagine listing an auction for .01 and top bidder paid $200.00 and it was domestic mailing on my auction.
I don't do best offer....not sure if that even works...or what's the point other than a lot of emails.
cardxcraft
·3 years agoThat's a really good strategy: you get rid of cheap inventory and maybe break even, but more importantly, as you stated, you gain potential repeat buyers...exposure.
I agree with you regarding building repeat buyers, especially with our current economic outlook.
shag182
·3 years agoIs this a DEEP THOUGHT???🤔
john_wade
OP3 years agoAuctions are not going the way of the Dodo. In the past 5 years on eBay, my biggest sales were all auctions. But when there is a terrible economy people don't want to bid, just steal like the politicians in D.C.
rugerskick
·3 years agoThere probably also are some folks who would love to bid and buy, but don't have expendable income like they did before. More people have chronic debt and more people are living paycheck to paycheck.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoPeople need to stop living in the past - in etailing years '20 years ago' was like 5 generations.
@clemowbooks While we're at it, I want my youth back, too.
dreamation_designs
·3 years agoDefinitely chapeau-noir,
" People need to stop living in the past "
I felt it.
shag182
·3 years agoWho's living in the past, I'm going back to the future....
moondogblues
·3 years ago"While we're at it, I want my youth back, too."
Yup, 20 years ago I had red hair, was 30 pounds lighter and my band had gigs. Where does the time go?
clemowbooks
·3 years agoTwenty years ago I was still working.
Twenty years ago I was living 4,500km from here.
Twenty years ago I had brown hair.
What happened?
rosszonebricks
·3 years agoWas there a question in there?
If it's perhaps your sell rate is not 70-80% now, the only thought I can offer without further context is:
Auctions are going the way of the dodo bird. (extinct). People less and less want to bid and wait. They want to buy today, and preferably have it shipped out that same day or next.
goldrushfinds
·3 years agoJust say a flock of dodo birds the other day, as a matter of fact.
rosszonebricks
·3 years agoSure they weren't flying pigs? Because dodo birds are extinct, oh wait, and flying pigs don't exist. So I guess "gone the way of dodo birds" and "when pigs fly" both work when referring to the current 2023 viability of auctions on eBay. 😉
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoI used to sell everything on 5- or 7-day auctions here...20 years ago. And now that I remember, I did have a flying pig for there was pork in the treetops.
keziak
·3 years agoThe classic auctions versus fixed price debate. Auctions still have a place, especially in a business with limited physical storage space. Right now my auctions are also on life support but if I want to do more with fixed price (bulky lots) I will have to figure out where to stash such stuff for weeks. I don't even say several months, if they do not sell in a matter of weeks they are gone.